By Breffni Martin

N1 R173

P P Ravensdale Carlingford r Carlingford Mtn P e v i C R Slieve Foye Most of Louth’s best birdwatching a y s r t r l sites are situated on the coast.We e u t l o F Shilties L w 1 n R176 begin our tour at Carlingford R iv er Lough and travel southwards via harbour, Lurgangreen Navvy Bank Ballagan Point and to Point Rd Soldier’s Pt R173 seawatch point the Boyne estuary. DUNDALK Whitestown 2 Whitestown The headlands are all good for Beach migrants in spring and autumn, Dundalk Harbour P P Giles Shelling Hill Cooley Point while the sea bays and wetlands Quay Templetown R172 Beach are best in winter, when sea ducks, N1 dabbling ducks, waders and gulls are most common. Blackrock River F an e Lurgangreen cul-de-sac Lurgangreen 3

Louth

Seabank Area covered by map Glyde estuary

e r De R166 Rive Strand

Salterstown Hermitage 1 Cooley Peninsula N1 de Dunany Target species: Black Guillemot, Greenshank ly G Point r Carlingford has beaches and mudflats with mountains and woods e R166 v i R nearby. Buzzard, Raven and Dipper are found on Carlingford Mountain, while the forests on Slieve Foye support Jay, Crossbill, Long-eared Owl,Woodcock and Grasshopper Warbler. Cruisetown Strand From the pier at Carlingford in winter, scan the bay for grebes, divers and Scaup. Rarities have included Black-throated and White-billed Divers and Slavonian Grebe. Continue past the sailing club, back to the main road, scanning for waterbirds. Cruisetown stream P Harbour Seals lounge on the rocks, and Whimbrel and Common Sandpiper occur on passage. Continue on to a small inlet, Shilties R166 Port Oriel seawatch Lough, and, from the smaller road, look for Lapwing,Teal,Wigeon, P point Kingfisher and Yellowhammer. Greenore port is excellent for Black Guillemots in spring and 4 Clogherhead for terns, which nest on nearby Green Island. Ballagan Point is good for seawatching (Long-tailed Skua has been seen). On land, look for Snow Bunting,Twite and White Wagtail in winter. Rare P migrants have included Firecrest and Radde’s Warbler. At Whitestown beach, Mediterranean Gulls and White Wagtails are regular and Sand Martins nest in the sand-cliffs. Cooley Point, R167 a rocky coastal spit, is much favoured by Cormorants, Brent N1 R166 Boyne estuary Geese, Golden and Grey Plovers and Turnstones.The finches and R168 5 wagtails at Templetown beach are worth a closer look, while Beaulieu Mell Baltray Beach Shelling Hill, at the end of the beach, is a useful seawatch point. Giles Quay is excellent for Black Guillemots. Look also for divers, TomR167 Roe’s Pt sawbills, scoters, Eider and Long-tailed Duck.

Map by Cóilín MacLochlainn WINGS SUMMER 2007 010Distance (kilometres) and the Mountains of Mourne (Breffni Martin)

Black Guillemot Greenshank

Bill Quinn Billy Clarke 1 Black Guillemot Common Scoter (Eddie Dunne) Giles Quay supports a large nesting population.

2 Greenshank 3 Lurgangreen to Dunany Point The mudflats around Cooley peninsula hold good numbers in winter. Target species: Common Scoter, Greylag Goose Follow the R172 south from Dundalk and through Blackrock, 2 Dundalk Harbour heading towards Castlebellingham. Cross the Lurgangreen Bridge on the River Fane and turn left down a short cul-de-sac to a Target species: Ruff,White Wagtail saltmarsh.This area holds a variety of waterfowl in winter. Up to Dundalk Docks, where the Castletown and Flurry Rivers flow into the five species of goose occur – Greylag,White-fronted, Pink-footed, sea, is rich in estuarine mudflats.A large flock of Mute Swans and Brent and Barnacle – and are best viewed by walking about 100m many ducks and waders can be viewed from the quay wall. Look for south and viewing from the high bank that runs along the shore. the large flocks (5,000+) of Golden Plovers and Black-tailed Godwits Turning back, take a left turn down a narrow road to Seabank, at (up to 2,000). Ruff (5-6), Curlew and Common Sandpiper are regular the southern end of the marsh.This area is excellent for winter and recent rarities have included Temminck’s Stint, Long-billed ducks and waders, particularly on a rising tide, and the fields Dowitcher and Green-winged Teal. regularly hold a variety of wintering geese. Leaving the docks, take the first left turn down the Point Road, Barn Owl has been seen here occasionally, as well as Hen leading to Soldier’s Point and the Navvy Bank, a half-mile walkway Harrier, Peregrine and Merlin, and Osprey is regular on passage. along the riverbank.This area is good for Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Of all the sites in Louth, Lurgangreen offers the most exciting Godwits, Curlew, Redshank, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, possibilities. Shelduck,Wigeon,Teal,Grey Heron and occasional Goldeneye and Follow the N1 south to Castlebellingham, turn left onto the Pintail. Just east of Soldier’s Point, look for White Wagtail,Twite and coast road (R166) and pause at the estuary of the rivers Glyde and Water Pipit. Dee and Annagassan Strand to look for waders and gulls, before going on to Salterstown, the Hermitage and Dunany Point.This 3 Ruff area is excellent for divers, grebes (Slavonian is regular) and sea ducks, particularly scoters and occasionally Long-tailed Duck, Scaup Regular at Dundalk Docks on passage and in winter. and Eider. Rarities have included Velvet Scoter, Black-throated Diver and Goosander.The Hermitage has produced Arctic Skua, Black 4 White Wagtail Tern,Yellow Wagtail,Wood Sandpiper and Little Auk. Can often be seen at Soldier’s Point, Dundalk. 5 Common Scoter Ruff White Wagtail One of the many seabirds that can be seen off Salterstown. 6 Greylag Goose Lurgangreen attracts Greylag and other goose species in winter.

Sean Cronin John Murphy WINGS SUMMER 2007 9 Greylag Goose John Carey …in Louth

Grey Plover Little Tern Great Crested Grebe

Billy Clarke Michael Finn Mike Brown 4 Clogherhead & Cruisetown Strand 5 Boyne estuary Target species: Manx Shearwater, Grey Plover Target species: Little Tern,Great Crested Grebe Return to the R166 and continue south to Cruisetown Strand.At its As you come through Drogheda, check out Mell Quarry southern end there is a freshwater stream outflow which attracts gulls between the N1 and R168. Park near the entrance gates and and terns – Yellow-legged Gull, Franklin’s Gull and Black and Forster’s view through the green fencing.A male Ring-necked Duck Terns have been seen here. Sanderling and Little Stint are regular on regularly overwinters here with Tufted Ducks.Also look for passage on the beach. Pochard, Shelduck, breeding Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Further south, you come to Clogherhead.The harbour, Port Oriel, Mute Swan, Coot and Moorhen. Fulmars have been absent since holds a small colony of Black Guillemots.A small garden near the harbour excavation works commenced at the quarry. regularly attracts spring and autumn migrants, sometimes rare vagrants. En route from Drogheda to Baltray, turn off the R167 and ’s first Rock Thrush and Serin were found on the headland. take a walk around Beaulieu Pond (opposite Beaulieu House). Clogherhead is one of the best seawatching points on the east coast, Teal,Wigeon, Shoveler, Mute Swan, Little Egret, Coot, Moorhen, with Manx, Sooty and Mediterranean Shearwaters, skuas and Storm and Little Grebe,Treecreeper, Redpoll, Kingfisher, Chiffchaff and Leach’s Petrels passing regularly. Grey Wagtail may be seen here and, from March to July, you can hear the raucous calls of Grey Herons in the heronry. 7 Along the Boyne estuary, from Tom Roe’s Point out to Baltray Manx Shearwater village, you may see Wigeon,Teal,Shelduck (breeding), Lapwing, One of the many seabirds that can be seen passing Clogherhead. Golden Plover, Brent Goose, Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe and passage migrants such as Curlew Sandpiper. 8 Grey Plover Continue through Baltray, past the golf course, to the beach One of the wader species found on Cruisetown Strand in winter. (looking out for Skylarks) where Little Tern and Ringed Plover nest on the shingle from May to July.Also look for gulls, Common and Sandwich Terns,Cormorant and waders.

Manx Shearwaters 9 Little Tern Ireland’s rarest nesting seabird can be seen on the beach at Baltray from May to July.You will see signs and a fence erected to protect the nesting area. Ringed Plovers also nest here.

10 Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebes breed on the Mell Quarry ponds.

(NB:The Boyne estuary has the record for the world’s most northerly breeding Little Egrets. In 2006, one pair successfully fledged four young.They can be seen feeding along the river or on Beaulieu Pond.)

• Acknowledgments to Margaret Reilly for preparing the Boyne estuary section. Anthony McGeehan / RSPB-images.com 10 WINGS SUMMER 2007